Wise One's Test
by Kyarorain
Summary: The Wise One puts Felix through an enduring test. The test? Being transformed into a girl.


**Wise One's Test**

* * *

Um, I thought I'd have a little fun with genderbending, so prepare yourself for crack. This thing kind of wound up longer than I expected, which is a little annoying when it's only meant to be a oneshot.

Camelot owns Golden Sun.

* * *

Felix tossed and turned restlessly, trapped in some kind of eerie dream that he didn't understand. Then for some strange reason, the Wise One appeared at the end of the dream with a squad of dancing mice.

"This is not a dream!" The Wise One said. "This is another one of my tests! What would you do... in one of the strangest situations you could ever possibly imagine? Have fun." Then the rock had vanished in a puff of smoke.

Felix awoke slowly and yawned, reaching up to rub his eyes. He sat up, blinking sleepily, and shook his head, trying to remember what he'd been dreaming about. He could faintly remember the Wise One telling him about a test, but perhaps it was only a dream. Felix shrugged off the rather absurd dream and pushed back the bedclothes, sliding his legs over the side of the bed.

As he rose to his feet suddenly, he felt a strange movement on his chest. Felix sat back down sharply and felt it again. It felt almost as if something was bouncing. His eyes widened and he looked down.

An ear-splitting shriek followed a moment later.

Jenna sat up in bed, startled by the shriek. "Mom?" She hurriedly jumped out of her bed and ran to her parents' room, which was at the far end of the house. Jenna quickly opened the door and looked into the room. Her parents lay sleeping quietly in bed, undisturbed by the scream. Jenna blinked in puzzlement and shut the door behind her.

Jenna wondered if maybe the scream had just been her imagination as she treaded along the hallway, listening for any more noise. But how could she have imagined something like that? As she approached her room, she heard something like muffled whimpering coming from Felix's room. It sounded like a girl... but why was a girl in Felix's room... and was Felix in there?

This morning was just getting stranger by the second, the redhead thought. Jenna had no idea just how odd her morning was going to get. She marched over to Felix's room and flung the door open.

"Okay, who's in there?" Jenna demanded in a loud voice. Her gaze fell on the sobbing brunette sitting on the bed. Her eyes slid around the room as she tried to see this mystery girl. But Felix was clearly the only one in the room, hunched over on the bed and shaking. Jenna's jaw dropped open as it occurred to her that he was crying.

"Felix?" Jenna rushed over and sat next to him on the bed, her eyes wide in surprise. "Are you actually... crying?"

"Look!" Felix wailed in a high voice, throwing down his arms. Jenna's gaze slid to his chest. She sharply stood and took a step back, her eyes widening in surprise.

Felix bit his lip, waiting for her reaction. At least he hoped she wasn't going to go and tell the rest of Vale that he had breasts. Was this what the dream had been about? Why him? Why had he apparently been turned into a girl?

Then Jenna released a horrified scream and fainted, dropping like a stone. Felix winced at the heavy thud made by Jenna hitting the floor. He sighed and pressed his fingers against his forehead, rubbing anxiously, as he tried to remember exactly what the dream had said.

The Wise One... testing him... one of the strangest situations that he could ever possibly imagine.

Well, this was certainly strange! Not just that, but this was downright embarassing and insane! He had breasts! And he was probably missing something he was definitely going to miss on top of that.

Felix checked just in case. It was missing. He shuddered and prayed that he might not have to answer a call of nature today. This was just far too disturbing.

What was he going to do? Stay in his bedroom all day? Maybe if he pretended to have a cold... so what if it was a blisteringly hot summer day? Surely people could still have colds in the summer.

Eventually, Jenna let out a moan and stirred, slowly rising and groaning as her bones ached in complaint. She turned around slowly and gave Felix a blank stare. "Oh. So it wasn't a dream after all."

"Believe me, I wish this was a dream," Felix said anxiously. "What am I going to do? I can't show myself to anyone like this!"

"Wait, wait, what... what happened?" Jenna spluttered. "How are you suddenly... a... a girl? Why? How?"

"I don't know how or why," Felix sighed. "I just had some dream where the Wise One appeared, surrounded by dancing mice..." He broke off as Jenna gave him an incredulous stare.

"Mice?" Jenna exclaimed. "You dreamed about dancing mice?"

"I think I have a bigger problem than my subconscious's fascination with rodents right now," Felix said, shooting her a look. Jenna immediately shut her mouth and listened attentively. "So, the Wise One told me it was testing me by putting me in the strangest situation I could possibly imagined. Then I woke up... as a girl."

Jenna stared at him for a little longer then she suddenly burst out laughing and walked around the room, shaking her head. "I can't believe this! My brother... is a girl... wait," she turned and looked at him, "Then would that make you my sister?"

Felix shot her a Glare of Death as his answer.

"Okay, okay, sorry," Jenna said quickly, letting out a giggle. "So, what do you think you should do?"

"Stay here. All day," Felix answered. "I'm not leaving the house. Not even if a horde of elephants are about to trample it underfoot."

"But you can't do that!" Jenna protested, running over to him. "That won't do, Felix! You'll be bored and people will wonder where you are and..."

"I'll just say I'm sick," Felix replied. "It's a completely fool-proof idea."

"Oh, come on! You shouldn't be stuck in here all day!" Jenna pouted, then a slow smile spread across her face. Felix's eyes widened in horror. "Ooh... I've got an idea..."

"No," Felix said immediately. "Whatever it is, no. I'm not going along with it."

"Wait here," Jenna said, not realising the uselessness of her order. She scampered out of the room and Felix felt a sinking sensation in his stomach. Jenna was up to something. Jenna being up to something was not good. He immediately prayed a giant hole would open up in the ground and swallow him whole.

His doom was surely sealed when he heard her returning footsteps. Felix looked up nervously as Jenna walked into the room with her hands behind her back, a wicked grin on her face.

"Oh, Felix, I've got something for you," Jenna said teasingly. Felix suppressed a whimper of fear. "Ta-dah!" She whipped out her hands and showed him what she had.

Felix blinked slowly, a cold feeling of shock spreading through his body. Unless his eyes were deceiving him, he was staring at a make-up bag and a couple of scrunchies. Felix looked slowly up at Jenna, giving her a look that plainly said 'Are you INSANE?'

"If you're going to go out there, you need a disguise," Jenna said. "We'll use make-up and disguise you as some unknown girl. With any luck, nobody will realise you're actually Felix. So, ready for a makeover?"

"No!" Felix burst out. "This is crazy! Maybe I want to be bored and lying in bed all day..."

"And missing your meals? Not letting anyone see you at all? Supposing someone sees you on the way to answering a call of nature?" Jenna asked. "Face it, Felix, this is the better plan."

"This is the stupidest plan!" Felix exclaimed, as Jenna sat next to him, still grinning. "Maybe I'll just wear extra thick layers so nobody sees my... breasts." He said the last word with a grimace on his face.

"It's summer, Felix," Jenna pointed out in a deadpan voice.

"Shit," Felix cursed. "The Wise One had this planned out all along, didn't he?"

"Okay, let's see..." Jenna murmured, unzipping her bag. Felix swallowed heavily as she rummaged through it. He was not looking forward to it, but then again he didn't have much choice. It was better than suffering intense boredom or alienating the whole of Vale. Jenna was taking this surprisingly well. Who knew how everyone else would react? "Here we go!"

Felix's chocolate eyes slid to the tube of lipstick that Jenna held out and he didn't even suppress a whimper this time. Jenna coolly uncapped the tube to reveal a frightening looking stick of coral. At least, it looked frightening to Felix.

"Keep still," Jenna ordered as she reached over. "I'd let you do it, but I don't think you have any experience with applying make-up."

Felix sulkily sat still as Jenna proceeded to cover him with make-up. Then she restyled his hair, re-arranging it into a high ponytail at the back and leaving bangs at the side to frame his face.

"Good thing you already had long hair," Jenna quipped.

"I like long hair," Felix said defensively.

"All done," Jenna announced, holding up a mirror. Felix stared in shock at his unrecognisable face. His lips were a bright shade of coral, his cheeks had been dusted with rouge and his eyelids were even gold. His mascara-enhanced lashes made his eyes look surprisingly big.

"This is horrible," Felix whimpered. "I look like a girl."

"I hate to break it to you, but you kind of are a girl," Jenna pointed out. "I guess I'd better get you one of my outfits." She quickly packed her make-up bag and hurried out of the room.

Felix groaned and put his head in his hands. He was wearing make-up. He had to wear Jenna's clothes for the day. This was definitely not good. And Jenna's favorite colour was pink! He never wanted to wear pink...

Jenna came back into the room with a heap of clothes in her arms. She dumped them on the bed next to Felix. Felix nervously looked, seeing what appeared to be an olive green blouse and a rust-coloured skirt, as well as a cloth binder.

"What's this for?" Felix asked, picking up the cloth.

"That's to support your breasts," Jenna deadpanned.

Felix looked down in disgust at the large bumps protruding from his chest. He almost rivalled Jenna in breast size. Then he had to resist the urge to hurl as he realised what he was doing. He proceeded to put on the clothes, feeling more embarassed by the minute. Wearing a skirt was not something he had thought he would ever do.

"Very nice," Jenna said approvingly. "Now, come on, let's go and test your disguise."

Felix followed her out of the room, feeling rising trepidation. What if it failed? What if everyone realised it was actually him turned into a girl? If that happened, he might just die of shame and embarassment.

Their parents were already in the kitchen, talking to each other across cups of coffee as they sat at the table.

"Good morning!" Jenna said cheerfully, forcefully pulling Felix next to her.

"Morning," Jenna's mother replied, catching sight of the 'girl' standing next to Jenna. "Oh, who's that?"

"This is a friend of mine from Vault," Jenna said quickly. "She came over yesterday and she was going to stay at the inn, but she's lost her wallet, so I let her stay with me last night. You don't mind, do you?"

"No, that's perfectly alright," Jenna's mother said, smiling. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Felix squeaked, staring down at his boots.

"She's a little shy," Jenna lied, nudging Felix sharply in the side.

"Nice to meet another one of Jenna's friends," said Jenna's father. "So, what's your name?"

Felix's eyes widened and he shot a panicked look at Jenna that his parents luckily didn't catch. He hadn't even thought of a name.

Jenna let out a sigh of exasperation and smiled fakely. "Um, her name is... Felicity!"

Felix stared at her in silent shock. That was the best she could do?

Jenna guilty turned and hissed out the side of her mouth, "That was the best I could come up with on such short notice!" In a louder voice, she said, "Anyway, since she came late yesterday, I'm going to be giving her a proper tour of Vale. See you later."

"You're not very good with names, are you?" Felix complained as they walked outside.

"I didn't see you coming up with a name," Jenna shot back.

"This is the worst day ever," Felix moaned. "And what is this test supposed to prove?"

"Maybe it's supposed to test whether you're a wimp or not," Jenna said. "And if you hid in bed all day, you would fail the test."

"You... think?" Felix sighed. "Maybe the Wise One just has a twisted sense of humor."

"The Wise One seems to have a reason for the things he does though," Jenna said. "If you think about it, this isn't much crazier than sicking our parents on us as a dragon."

"If I ever see that rock again, I'm giving him some choice words," Felix muttered darkly.

"Oh, hey, Garet!" Jenna called out, scampering up to the tall Mars Adept who was walking toward them. Felix froze to the spot as he watched them embrace. He knew he didn't have to worry about Garet recognising him, that was beyond what little intelligence capacity he had. He would also have to remember not to tell Garet to keep his hands off Jenna.

"Hey, Jenna!" Garet grinned, kissing her. "I was just coming over to see you. But, hey, better we don't meet in the house. We don't need that grumpy Felix watching us like a hawk."

Felix gritted his teeth and marched up, struggling not to even clench his fists. He was not grumpy! What right did Garet have to insult him like that?

"Felix is quite a nuisance, isn't he?" Jenna smirked, receiving a look of annoyance from Felix. "But you know he's just looking out for me in that older brother way."

"Eh, Felix's a moron. He just doesn't understand the deep passion we have for each other," Garet said airily. "So, who's the chick?"

"Oh, that's just Felicity," Jenna told him. "Ignore her look of cold loathing. I think she's a lesbian."

Felix almost exploded, right before Jenna marched over and pulled him away.

"For goodness sake, Felix! Stop glaring like that at Garet!" Jenna snapped in a hushed voice. "Don't you think it's a little strange if you're looking like that while Garet and I are talking?"

"He was insulting me!" Felix cried out. "And I'm not a lesbian!" He paused. "Er... uh... that didn't sound right..."

"You're a guy, Felix, though in a girl's body," Jenna muttered, kneading her head. "Try not to forget that." She shook her head in exasperation and walked back to Garet. Felix followed, his head spinning as he tried to get around whether he was a lesbian at the moment or not. He liked girls, he was sure of that. So, in a girl's body, was he a lesbian?

"Sorry about that," Jenna said, wrapping her arms around Garet's neck and kissing him passionately. Felix patiently waited as they made out, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance. Did they have to do that right in front of him?

Eventually, Garet and Jenna parted for air and Garet remembered that there was a girl standing nearby and watching.

"So, who is she anyway?" Garet asked. "I've never seen her before."

"Don't be rude, Garet," Jenna said. "Ask her directly. She's a little shy, but will warm up once you get to know her."

"Okay..." Garet turned and stared at Felix. "So... where are you from?"

"Vault," Felix said reluctantly, not feeling like talking to Garet after he'd called him a moron. "I... came over to Vale... last night and stayed at Jenna's house."

"I didn't know you had friends in Vault," Garet said, glancing at Jenna. "Nice to meet you, Felicity."

"I wish I could say the same," Felix replied. Jenna discreetly slammed her foot down on his and he winced. "I'm looking forward to meeting Jenna's other friends."

"You've met Felix already, right?" Garet asked. Felix slowly nodded, trying not to look incredulous. Didn't Garet remember he lived in the same house as Jenna? How could he not meet any visitors she had over?

"Oh, the two of them got on great," Jenna said quickly. "They have so much in common, it's amazing! They like the same sort of things, she's even a little grumpy when she's in a bad mood and she's quiet just like Felix."

"Whoah," Garet said in amazement. "Hey, maybe they should go out together!"

"Garet!" Jenna exclaimed. "Not in front of Felicity!" She shot Felix a wicked grin.

"I've had enough," Felix snapped, turning and walking away. Jenna pouted as she watched his retreating back. Maybe it had been a little too soon for him to be around Garet, and she hadn't been helping much.

"What's her problem?" Garet asked.

"I told you, she's just like Felix," Jenna replied. "It's like she's his identical twin or something."

Felix marched through Vale, staring grumpily at his feet. Garet and Jenna had put him in an even worse mood he hadn't even thought possible. And now he was disturbed by the thought of actually going out with himself. Felix wrapped his arms around himself and shuddered in disgust.

He was so focused on his thoughts that he almost collided with a blonde Venus Adept. Felix stopped and stared at Isaac.

"Oh, Isaac..." Felix broke off, wincing.

"How do you know my name?" Isaac asked in confusion, staring at him. "Have we met before?"

"Ah, no, Jenna told me about you," Felix said quickly, looking back at him and nervously wondering if Isaac would figure out who he was. "I'm... her friend from Vault who came over last night."

"O...oh..." Isaac stuttered, looking suddenly uncomfortable. "Um... what's your name?"

"My name's Felix...city!" Felix spluttered, cursing Jenna for coming up with such a similar name. It didn't even stop at similar, it was the feminine form of his own name!

"Felicity..." Isaac said slowly. He looked down, staring at his shoes. "It's... a nice name."

It suddenly occurred to Felix that Isaac was stuttering a little and looking uncomfortable. He tried to figure out what that meant and then it hit him like a bucket of cold water. No! Isaac couldn't have a crush on him! No way!

"I've got to go," Felix said quickly, turning and running at full speed. Damn Isaac. And he'd always thought there was no such thing as love at first sight. How very wrong he seemed to be.

Garet and Jenna stared in consternation as Felix hurtled past them. Garet stared at Jenna questioningly. Jenna just shrugged, looking as clueless as Garet did.

Felix was approaching his house when it suddenly occurred to him it might seem a little strange to be there without Jenna, since his parents thought he was her friend staying over. He sighed and changed direction, only to encounter Sheba on the way to his house.

"Huh?" Sheba stared at him and Felix froze, his heart pounding. Sheba didn't recognise him, did she? Then Sheba shook herself and let out a small laugh. "I'm sorry, you just reminded me of someone."

If he actually reminded her of himself in his state, he wasn't going to be talking to her for a while. Felix swallowed and smiled pleasantly. "Really? Well, I don't think we've ever met."

"I'm Sheba," Sheba said. "And you are?"

"I'm a friend of Jenna's from Vault," Felix said tiredly. How many times was he going to have to say this anyway? "Felicity. It's nice to meet you." He started walking past her, not sure he felt like talking to anyone in this position.

"Hey, wait," Sheba said quickly, following him. "Are you really a friend of Jenna's? I've never heard about you before."

Felix exasperatedly turned around to look at her. Immediately, a flow of power surged from Sheba toward him. He recognised the danger sign of Sheba attempting to read his mind and quickly thought about food. Sheba broke off the connection, seeming a little discontented.

"Why don't you go ask Jenna?" Felix suggested, feeling a little put off that Sheba had just tried to read his mind. Did he look suspicious or something? "I'm sure she'll confirm it." He turned away again.

"Wait, I'm sorry," Sheba said, walking next to him. "Um... you're not hungry by any chance, are you?"

Felix decided saying he was would be the safer option, since he'd been thinking about food. "Well, actually, yes, I am kind of hungry."

"Why don't you come with me to the inn?" Sheba suggested. "I can buy you some food and we can talk over our meal. I think we just got off on the wrong foot, didn't we?"

"Well... okay..." Felix said tentatively. Somehow, he suspected Sheba had an ulterior motive in mind. But he followed her to the inn anyway and they sat down at a table, where toast was placed in front of them as well as preserves.

"So," Sheba said pleasantly, as she spread jam on her slice of toast. "What do you think of Vale?"

"Okay," Felix said, shrugging as he bit into his toast with marmalade. Silence fell over them until he'd finished his toast, then he sat back, realising Sheba was watching him intently.

Then she cast Mind Read again. Felix frantically thought of cute, fluffy bunnies hopping through a meadow. Sheba stopped and gave him a strange look.

"Hey, who's that?" Ivan approached the table, looking at Felix. Felix silently cursed. Not another Jupiter Adept to annoy him! Sheba jumped up from the table and pulled Ivan away. Felix frowned as he realised they were whispering to each other. What was Sheba doing?

"Nice to meet you, Felicity," Ivan said, reaching out a hand. "I'm Ivan."

Felix glanced suspiciously at his hand. Sheba had tried asking him to read his mind as well, hadn't she? He summoned up the most disturbing image he possibly could and reached out to shake Ivan's hand. "Nice to meet you, Ivan."

Ivan promptly read Felix's mind and was greeted with the image of naked Hama. "Augh!" He screamed and backed away, stumbling over to Sheba. Felix hid a smirk. Maybe that had been a little mean, but Ivan was violating his thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Sheba asked in concern.

"Naked..." Ivan whimpered. "Hama..."

"That's ridiculous, Ivan!" Sheba exclaimed. "How could she even know your sister?"

"I swear it was!" Ivan rubbed his burning eyes. "I think she knows we're reading her mind."

"Yeah, she did give me an odd look when I tried," Sheba said suspiciously. "Maybe she's an Adept."

Felix looked up as Ivan and Sheba marched over. Ivan glared at him and Sheba stepped up to him, hesitating as she prepared to choose her words carefully.

"Hey... if you're... Jenna's friend," Sheba said slowly, "you must know that there's something special about her, right?"

"Special?" Felix looked confused.

"Do you know what an Adept is?" Ivan asked.

"... No," Felix lied. Great, that naked Hama thing must have given it away. Now they knew that he knew they were reading his mind. "What's an Adept?"

"Okay, so you don't know that Jenna has powers?" Ivan asked. Felix shook his head.

"Funny, I thought a friend might know something like that," Sheba said. "Why don't we go and talk to Jenna together. Maybe she can tell you some things about herself."

"Fine," Felix said. With any luck, Jenna would be able to get Sheba away from him and he could have some peace and quiet at last. He grumpily followed Sheba out of the inn and they found Jenna by herself, skipping stones across the river.

"Hey, Jenna," Sheba said, catching her attention. "You know this girl?"

"Oh, yes, that's... Felicity..." Jenna remembered his fake name in the nick of time and sauntered up to Felix. "So... have a nice time?"

"No!" Felix exclaimed.

"So she really is your friend?" Sheba asked. Jenna turned to her and nodded. "Oh, I see... funny that she doesn't even know you're an Adept."

"Why would you ask something like that?" Jenna asked nervously.

"I think she knew I was reading her mind," Sheba hissed. "And Ivan."

"Why were you reading his mind?" Jenna exclaimed. She froze, clapping a hand over her mouth. Felix glared at her. Apparently, in the half hour they had been apart, she'd forgotten some things. "I mean, her mind!" Jenna giggled awkwardly.

Sheba slowly looked from Jenna to Felix then back. She gasped then looked at Felix again, giving him a long hard stare. "Felix?"

"Don't be silly, Sheba!" Jenna exclaimed. "Felix isn't a girl."

"Oh?" Sheba said suspiciously. "Let's see, this so called Felicity happens to know Hama well enough to think of her naked when Ivan reads her mind, undoubtedly knows her mind is being read which means she's an Adept and she has the same hair and eye colour as a certain person I know."

"Why did you think of naked Hama?" Jenna growled, rounding on Felix.

"He was reading my mind!" Felix exclaimed. "I don't want nosy Jupiter Adepts reading my mind!"

"Way to blow it, Felix," Jenna sighed. "Okay, Sheba, it's Felix."

"But... but... how?" Sheba spluttered, staring incredulously at Felix. "What happened?"

"The Wise One," Felix said sourly. "I had a dream in which he told me it was a test then I awoke as a girl."

"That's terrible," Sheba said, even as her mouth twitched.

"It's a secret," Jenna said. "Nobody else is supposed to know. Felix should at least be allowed to keep his dignity."

"I'm fed up," Felix moaned. "First Garet insults me, then Isaac has a crush on me and then Jupiter Adepts gang up on me! I should have just stayed in bed!"

"Come on, let's go home for a bit," Jenna said. "You seem a bit stressed."

"This is just crazy," Sheba commented as she followed them. "The Wise One is seriously messed up."

Felix didn't want to emerge from the house until lunchtime, when Jenna and Sheba persuaded him to join them, since the group was going to be having lunch together outside the inn, plus Jenna pointed out it would seem strange her 'visiting friend' wasn't eating lunch with her.

Felix sat nervously at the table between Jenna and Sheba, trying to ignore the fact that Jenna was making out with Garet. Even when they were eating lunch, she had to do that?

"So, this is Felicity?" Mia said, glancing at Felix. "Is she... well..."

"An Adept?" Jenna said. "No, of course not. I just told her about them though. It was very interesting, wasn't it, Felicity?"

"Hey, where is Felix anyway?" Garet asked. Felix stared at him in shock. He had actually been the first to notice his supposed absence?

"Yes, that's odd," Piers said, looking around. "Where could he be?"

"I have no idea," Jenna said. "He wasn't in his bed this morning. He's going to have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow."

Felix bit his lip and chewed, trying to think of a story. It wasn't like he was even allowed to leave Vale without a good reason. What excuse could he use?

"Isaac, you absolutely must try this cake," Mia said, picking up a brown chunk of sponge and turning to Isaac. She stopped and stared at him. Isaac was not even looking at her but staring ahead without seeming to hear her. Mia looked along his line of sight and her eyes narrowed.

Felix looked up and noticed Isaac was staring at him. Oh, great, the last thing he needed was everyone noticing. Then his gaze slid over to Mia and he was greeted with a glare of icy cold death. Felix shivered and looked back down at his plate. Mia had apparently figured out Isaac's crush. Well, just great.

"Isaac, stop staring at her!" Mia snapped.

"Huh... oh, Mia," Isaac said, quickly looking at her. "I wasn't staring, I swear. What's the matter?"

"I want you to try this cake," Mia said, smiling angelically. "Won't you try it, Isaac?"

"Sure," Isaac said, taking the cake. "Mia, I swear I would never look at another girl."

"I believe you, Isaac," Mia said very calmly in a steely tone. She shot another poisonous look at the poor innocent Felix.

"Hey, Felicity, you're very quiet," Piers said. "Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

Felix didn't want to. But suddenly all attention was on him and he was painfully aware of Isaac's attraction and Mia's intense loathing.

"Wait, you're from Vault, right?" Ivan said. "I just realised that... well, when I first met Isaac and Garet, I was in Vault. And we had to inspect a lot of townspeople. I remember faces quite well... and I swear I don't remember you at all. Are you really from Vault?"

"When was this?" Felix asked patiently.

"Shortly after Mt. Aleph erupted," Ivan said. "I don't think you could forget something like that."

"Ah, I heard about that," Felix said. "I was away visiting friends in Tolbi at the time."

"Oh..." Ivan frowned and sat back. Felix shot a glare at him. Annoying Jupiter Adept.

"Leave her alone, Ivan," Jenna snapped. "Now I'm starting to think you deserved that image." She muttered the last part under her breath.

"What image?" Garet asked. Jenna leaned over and whispered in his ear. Garet promptly creased up laughing. Ivan stared at them then shook his head. Nothing was making any sense today.

"So, tell us," Piers prompted. "We'd like to know something about Jenna's friend."

"Yes, Jenna's friend we've never heard of before," Mia said. She paused and turned to Isaac. "Hey, if you're supposed to be Jenna's childhood friend, wouldn't you at least know some other friends of hers?"

"I have honestly never seen or heard of her before," Isaac said.

"Yeah, that's strange," Garet said. "Jenna, why did you never tell us about her?"

"I think we would like to hear about Felicity's past!" Jenna burst out, looking desperately at her brother. "Go on, tell us!"

"Well, there isn't much to tell," Felix said. "When I was little, my father realised he was gay and ran off with another man. My mother went insane and burned all his clothes. She ended up burning the entire house down. I had to live with my eccentric aunt and uncle across town. My cousin hated me and he paid thieves from Lunpa to come and kidnap me so they did. I was held in Lunpa for a few years and learned to steal things and for a while, I was one of them. I was talented, being so skilled at such a young age. Then when I was ten years old, I went to Tolbi to study and I was gifted for my age. I liked it in Tolbi, but unfortunately I had to become a fugitive and flee the city when I... um, accidentally killed a sage in a chemistry experiment. He talked too much for his own good anyway. I returned to Vault and hid. My mother had died by then when she escaped jail and jumped in the well. I had a nice comfortable life afterwards, though I did return to Tolbi occasionally when I was older. They didn't recognise me so I was alright."

Felix gasped for breath after his long speech and drank some water. He realised everyone was staring at him with bleary eyes and frowned. He'd been trying to be funny. Had he done it wrong?

"Felix..." Jenna hissed into his ear. "I didn't ask for a damn monologue of lies!"

"Hey, at least Isaac and Garet have forgotten to ask you why you never told them about this so called friend," Felix whispered back.

Lunch passed by in uncomfortable silence as the Adepts occasionally made conversation with each other, most of them ignoring Felix. Of course, Mia wasn't ignoring him, but shooting lethal daggers at him.

After lunch was finished, the group got up and began to disperse. Felix was just about to return home when Mia grabbed him and backed him up into a tree. The terrified Venus Adept gazed fearfully into her icy blue eyes.

"Felicity," Mia said in a calm tone. "I think we need to talk."

"We-we do?" Felix squeaked.

"Listen," Mia said. "Normally, I'm quite a nice person, and I wouldn't treat a stranger like this. But where Isaac is concerned... I am different. Now, listen very carefully. Isaac is mine. Got that?"

Felix nodded frantically.

"Good, so we seem to understand each other," Mia said, looking impressed. "Now, this should be simple. Stay away from Isaac or else I will freeze you forever in a block of ice. Understand?"

"Yes!" Felix exclaimed. "I understand!"

"I'm so happy we understand each other," Mia said, stepping back. "I'm the last person you ever want to get cross."

Well, Felix considered Jenna to be the last person he ever wanted to infuriate, but he was hardly about to argue with Mia. He shakily stepped away from the tree, not taking his gaze off Mia. Felix could never have guessed that Mia was so dangerous.

"Hey, what's going on?" Jenna asked, approaching them. "Is something the matter?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Mia said brightly. "Felicity and I were just having a little chat about things. She understands me, so there's no problem here. Now I'll leave you to talk with your friend." She walked away, leaving Jenna quite puzzled.

"... Felix?" Jenna turned to look at her quivering brother. He seemed positively terrified. "What did Mia say to you?" She walked up and sympathetically rubbed him on the back. "You look so scared."

"She threatened me!" Felix whimpered. "Mia said... she said if I didn't stay away from Isaac... she would freeze me in a block of ice forever. She was scary, Jenna!"

"Wow," Jenna said in awe. "I guess Isaac really brings out a whole new side in Mia. Well, you should just stay away from Isaac. I guess it's because he keeps staring at you that Mia's so... well, pissed."

"I didn't ask Isaac to get a crush on me," Felix said in annoyance. "Mia should be threatening him, not me!"

"Oh, I'm sure she's going to give him an earful," Jenna said. "Let's head back home now."

"That's a good idea," Felix moaned. "I don't want to be anywhere near Mia or Isaac right now."

"Hey, Jenna," Garet said, running up. "If Felix isn't here, I can come to your house and we can do stuff, right? Without him being... there?"

"Sure," Jenna said. "You can join us."

Felix shot a suspicious stare at Garet. What was he thinking? Of course, he could hardly ask. So the three of them went off to Felix and Jenna's house so that Felix could hide some more.

"Let's go to my room," Jenna said conspirationally, once all three were inside. "I mean, Felix not being here."

"Yeah!" Garet exclaimed. "But it's not as fun when he isn't here."

"You two are really mean to Felix," the annoyed Venus Adept scowled. He tiredly followed them in the direction of Jenna's room. Just as they passed by Felix's room, Garet stopped and stared through the slightly open door.

"What is it?" Jenna asked, turning to look at Garet.

"That's odd," Garet said, pushing the door further open. "Jenna, you said Felix wasn't here this morning? But he definitely went to bed last night?"

"Of course I... he did," Felix said.

"Felix's pyjamas are in a heap on the bed and his bed isn't made," Garet said. "Isn't that a bit odd? If he was going to leave, wouldn't he at least tidy?"

"Maybe he was feeling lazy," Jenna guessed. "Come on, let's..."

"Hey, and his sword is over there," Garet said, pointing. "If he was leaving the village, wouldn't he take his weapon?"

"What are you saying?" Felix demanded.

"Do you know if he got changed last night?" Garet said, looking pensively at Jenna. Jenna shook her head. "What if... he had just got his pyjamas out and put them on the bed, and he drew back the sheet so he could just get in afterward..."

Felix gaped at him. No! Garet couldn't possibly be coming up with some crazy conspiracy theory!

"But... he never got the chance to change..." Garet said anxiously. "Maybe... something happened after you'd gone to your room... someone must have come and..."

"Really?" Jenna frowned. "But nobody could have gone in and out of the house because we lock the doors at night."

Garet pointed wide-eyed to the open window. Felix smacked his head in frustration. He had opened that window earlier while recovering from the shock of being bugged by Jupiter Adepts and Isaac crushing on him.

"So..." Jenna's voice wobbled. "Garet... what are you saying?" Felix looked suspiciously at his sister. What was she up to?

"Felix must have been kidnapped!" Garet said urgently.

"Bullshit!" Felix yelled. He froze and Garet turned to stare at him. "There's no way that..."

"No! Felix's been kidnapped?" Jenna wailed.

"You seem pretty sure," Garet said, giving Felix a penetrating glare. "You know something, don't you?"

Felix was sure he had a headache coming on. He shot an annoyed look at Jenna, who had a grin on her face, and sighed. "I swear I..."

"It's kind of strange that the night you come, Felix disappears," Garet pointed out.

"Felicity, did you have something to do with this?" Jenna gasped.

"No!" Felix backed away. "This isn't funny!"

Jenna smiled and advanced on him, grabbing him by his blouse and pushing him into the wall. "If you know something about my brother, you'd better tell me right now." Glancing back at Garet, she frantically whispered, "Hey, come on, we've got an excuse for your disappearance, haven't we?"

"Oh, okay..." Felix sighed. Maybe she did have a point. He just hoped Garet didn't beat girls. "I asked my friends in Lunpa to kidnap him. They took him in the night."

"What?" Garet exploded. "Why did you do that?"

"I can't believe you!" Jenna released him. "You..."

"Hey, remember, if anything happens to me, Felix won't come back safely," Felix said nervously. He wasn't sure when he was 'coming back', but he wanted to be in one piece. "I'm a valued associate of the Lunpans. It would also be a good idea if you didn't tell anyone about this. Lunpans like their job to be done discreetly."

"You bitch!" Garet exclaimed. Felix was momentarily taken aback by the strange insult, then he remembered he was a girl. Somehow, it was getting easier to forget his predicament.

"But why?" Jenna asked. "Why would you want them to take my brother away?"

Now he needed a motive? Felix wasn't sure he wanted to think of reasons why anyone would want him out of the way. "I... needed him out of the way... for... uh..." He paused, thinking of an idea. Jenna glared at him. Thank goodness Garet was slow, he would be busted by now otherwise. "To... uh... get to you."

"Eh?" Jenna blinked.

"I'm actually... the member of a... cult!" Felix exclaimed, feeling quite proud of himself for coming up with a plan that actually sounded intelligent. "And I wanted to lure you away into the cult."

Jenna just stared.

"A cult?" Garet exclaimed. "But... that doesn't explain why..."

"I need to have alone time with the... er, candidate, in which I convince them," Felix quickly lied. He was really having to bluff up excuses. Darn Jenna, making this more complicated than it needed to be. "But I knew her brother might be keeping an eye on us and he would make sure his little sister didn't get involved in anything like that, so I obviously needed him out of the way."

"So... do I need to join this cult for Felix to come back?" Jenna asked.

"Yeah," Felix said, feeling quite tired of this by now.

"Fine," Jenna said. "I'll join the cult."

"Jenna!" Garet gasped. "You can't!"

"Yes, I have to," Jenna said. "I have to do this for Felix."

"Great, I'll start brainwashing you right now," Felix took Jenna by the arm and dragged her toward her room. "We also need complete privacy, so you just leave, Garet."

"No!" Garet wailed as the door slammed behind the two. He sank to his knees, still wailing.

"I don't think Garet wants me to join a cult," Jenna said, grinning as she leaned against the door.

"Let's just hope he doesn't tell anyone else," Felix said, sitting on a chair and groaning. "My head hurts."

"This is so crazy." Jenna giggled. "A cult, Felix? Seriously? At lunch, you were really boring and stuff when telling all those lies. But now you're getting pretty good at it."

"I can't believe Garet even fell for that," Felix said sourly. "Or that he actually managed to come up with the crazy idea that I was kidnapped. Have you been messing with his mind?"

"You know, he seemed pretty concerned about you," Jenna said, sitting on the bed. "I guess Garet doesn't dislike you that much. You should be nicer to him, you know."

"After he called me a moron?" Felix grumbled.

"Maybe he calls you names because you're not that nice to him," Jenna said. "Now what shall we do for the rest of the afternoon? I was going to have some fun with Garet, but now you've spoiled it."

"Garet started it!" Felix protested.

"You're the one who yelled like that and caught his attention," Jenna said. "Sheesh, this has been a crazy day, hasn't it? That Wise One needs a good talking to..."

The door suddenly opened and Sheba walked in, shutting the door behind her. "Hey," she said, sitting next to Jenna on the bed. "What's wrong with Garet? I saw him running away and crying."

"Oh, he thinks I'm being brainwashed into a cult to save Felix who's being held hostage in Lunpa," Jenna replied.

"Garet came up with this crazy theory I'd been kidnapped in the night and things went from bad to worse," Felix said sulkily.

"Sounds interesting," Sheba said. "Tell me more."

The rest of the afternoon passed by without further incident. Eventually, they decide to emerge from the house. It was already evening and there was not much left of the day. Felix prayed that he might be back to normal tomorrow. That sole hope was all that kept him going.

As the three of them walked through the village, Garet came running up, a wild look in his eyes. "Jenna! Are you okay?"

Jenna turned to look at him, resisting the urge to smile. Instead she gave him her most serious look and said in a witchy voice, "Bow down to Lord Hades."

"I don't want to hear this crap," Felix muttered, pulling Sheba away.

"Jenna's really enjoying this, isn't she?" Sheba asked, smirking.

"Yeah. Now she's going to torture poor Garet by making him think she's loyal to Hades," Felix sighed.

"Poor Garet?" Sheba said incredulously. "You feel sorry for Garet?"

"No... no, I don't!" Felix exclaimed. "He deserves to suffer for being an annoying moron."

"Sure," Sheba murmured, looking away. "Oh, here's Isaac."

Felix stood still, staring at Isaac. He remembered that he was meant to stay away from him. Otherwise Mia would freeze him into a block of ice.

"I want to talk..." Isaac said hoarsely.

"I'll leave you two to talk," Sheba said, stepping back.

"No!" Felix screamed. "Stay here!"

"... Felix?" Sheba frowned at him in puzzlement.

"Felicity," Isaac said, stepping up to Felix with a dazed look in his eyes. "I... I don't know why... but I can't stop thinking about you... I have to do this..."

"Wait a minute," Felix said, feeling panicked. "But Mia..."

"Mia doesn't have to know," Isaac said, looking around furtively. Sheba gasped in shock. Felix tried to scream as Isaac leaned in, his cries muffled by Isaac's lips. He recoiled in horror and pushed Isaac away, a disgusted expression on his face.

"What the hell-" Felix started, then he saw something that made his blood run cold.

Mia.

Walking towards them.

Sheba saw her too and gulped. "This isn't good."

"Isaac!" Mia growled. "What are you doing? And you..." She turned her cold glare to Felix. "I thought I told you..."

"But, Mia, I... I love Feli..."

Felix did the only thing he could think of that might at least tell them he was not keen on Isaac's attentions. He punched Isaac hard in the face and knocked him back.

"What the hell are you doing?" Felix screamed. "You kissed me? I like girls!"

Isaac stared at him as he rubbed his bleeding nose. Mia also stared in shocked silence.

"But you're a girl..." Mia said quietly. "Oh..."

"You mean... you're..." Isaac backed away. "Ah... ugh... I thought Jenna was the only girl who punched this hard."

"You didn't have to punch him," Sheba said, looking reproachfully at Felix.

"I don't want to get frozen forever in a block of ice!" Felix exclaimed. "I'm sick of this mess! When am I going to turn back into a guy?"

"What?" Mia stared at him as if he was completely insane.

"Back into a..." Isaac stopped, his eyes widening.

"Oh shoot," Felix muttered. "So much for not letting anyone else know."

"You're Felix!" Isaac screamed, sinking to his knees. "I kissed Felix!"

"What... what... WHAT?" Mia screamed. "You're Felix?"

"The Wise One turned Felix into a girl as part of some test," Sheba said. "He's really embarassed about it though, so don't make fun of him or anything."

"I just want to curl up and die," Isaac moaned, curling up into the fetal position. Death, however, refused to claim him.

"Uh..." Mia stepped up to Felix, an anxious look in her eyes. "I'm sorry for threatening you... I..."

"It's okay, really," Felix said, though he wasn't sure he could ever be around her without feeling scared anymore.

"Hey, what's all the yelling about?" Garet asked, approaching the group.

"Is Jenna okay?" Sheba asked.

Jenna wandered up to stand next to Garet and declared, "I will make the world bow down to the might of Hades!"

"What are you talking about, Jenna?" Mia stared at her.

"Stay away from her!" Garet gasped, pulling Mia away from Felix. "She might try to brainwash you into a cult like she did with Jenna!"

Mia shot Felix a strange look.

"Long story," Felix said with a sigh.

"I can't believe I kissed Felix!" Isaac screamed, clearly traumatised. "Why me?"

"We should have told you, shouldn't we, Isaac?" Sheba said guiltily.

"Yeah, we should have done that," Jenna said, though she was grinning as she said it.

"Eh?" Garet released Mia, looking stupefied. "What the heck?"

Isaac stared at Garet, then numbly pointed at Felix. "That... it's... Felix..."

"Yeah," Felix said, shamefully staring at the ground. "No point in holding it in any longer. The Wise One turned me into a girl in the night."

Garet stared incredulously at Felix, then he shot an accusing stare at Jenna.

"Sorry, Garet," Jenna apologised. "I was just having too much fun."

"Well, this is just wonderful," Sheba said. "Maybe we should go and tell Ivan and Piers as well."

"No!" Felix exclaimed. "Not Ivan!"

"What did you do to Ivan?" Isaac asked as he rose to his feet, looking somewhat pale.

"He was trying to read my mind so I thought of Hama... naked," Felix admitted.

"Well, it's nice to know what's going on," an icy voice said. Everyone jumped as Ivan stepped out from behind a tree. "For that matter, I didn't appreciate that image one bit."

"It's my fault," Sheba said guiltily. "I'm the one who told you to read his mind and he knew what we were doing. Please don't blame Felix. He's obviously in a bad mood because he got turned into a girl."

"Well, at least it's funny thinking he was kissed by Isaac," Ivan said. Isaac glared at the Wind Adept, not amused in the least. "But, I guess Felix's been suffering worse. So... how's he going to turn back?"

"We're just going to have to wait," Jenna said. "I hope it's soon."

"Hmm... if it was part of a test," Isaac said thoughtfully, "maybe there's something you have to do in order to pass the test."

"Hey, what's going on?" Piers asked as he approached them. "Looks like a fun discussion going on here."

"I remember the Wise One asking what I would do in one of the strangest situations I've ever faced," Felix said suddenly. "But I don't get it..."

"Well, what would you have done, Felix?" Garet asked.

"Wait, what?" Piers stared at the supposed girl, his eyes widening. "Felix?"

"He got turned into a girl by the Wise One as a test," Mia replied.

"... Well, after seeing three-headed dragons, I guess I can't be too surprised," Piers said finally.

"I wanted to stay in bed all day," Felix replied. "But Jenna decided to put make-up on me and drag me outside instead."

"Maybe the test was to see you overcome the situation and see how you coped with everything," Isaac suggested. "But... you seem to have been through everything now."

"He's actually been coping pretty well," Jenna said. "But hasn't he been through enough now?"

"I am an inch away from losing my sanity," Felix sighed. "And even worse, having breasts is starting to feel normal. I just want to turn back already!"

"I suppose you've suffered enough," the Wise One said from above, startling the Adepts. "You have coped well with this test, Felix. Kind of sucks you needed so much help from your sister, but I guess it wouldn't be fair to penalise you." He flashed and then a glow surrounded Felix.

When the glow faded, Felix looked like himself again, save for the makeup plastered over himself and the fact he was wearing Jenna's clothes. The cloth binder slipped free and fell to his waist.

"I'm back to normal!" Felix exclaimed happily. He saw the Wise One disappearing and exclaimed, "Hey, wait a minute, I still want to..."

"It's no use, Felix," Piers said. "The Wise One obviously doesn't want to listen to your ranting."

"I'm going to go change," Felix said, walking away.

"Felix wearing a skirt and make-up is pretty funny," Garet said. "Yet... strangely disturbing,"

"I just hope the Wise One doesn't do anymore tests," Mia said, sounding concerned.

"I think he just wanted to humiliate Felix," Jenna said. "That rock does have a bizarre sense of humor."

"Mia, I'm sorry about..." Isaac turned to apologise, but Mia silenced him with a kiss and they embraced passionately.

"I'm really sorry about leading you on like that," Jenna said, hugging Garet tightly. "You know I wouldn't join a cult."

"You really had me scared there," Garet said, then they started making out.

Fortunately for the Adepts, the Wise One didn't think it necessary to have any more fun, and they were quite relieved the next morning to find out absolutely nothing had happened.


End file.
